Bed-Stuy surf shop offers handmade boards

The city's only wooden surfboard manufacturer is making them by hand right in Brooklyn. David Murphy opened the Imaginary Surf Co. about 10 years ago in Williamsburg and then moved his shop to Bedford-Stuyvesant.

News 12 Staff

Aug 19, 2015, 2:11 AM

Updated 3,393 days ago

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The city's only wooden surfboard manufacturer is making them by hand right in Brooklyn.
David Murphy opened the Imaginary Surf Co. about 10 years ago in Williamsburg and then moved his shop to Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Murphy builds longboards out of recycled wood, which allows him to use materials that are no longer available, he says, like old-growth redwood salvaged from the city's water towers.
In addition to being made from recycled materials, wooden boards can last a lifetime, whereas traditional boards are usually good for one or two years, Murphy says.
The wood shavings can also be recycled. Murphy says he donates them every week to local community gardens.
A single board can take up to 14 hours to make and sells for as much as $1,800.